Taliban reopen universities for Afghan women in 6 provinces

By TAMEEM AKHGAR
Associated Press

ISLAMABAD (AP) — The Taliban say they have reopened public universities for women students in six of Afghanistan’s 34 provinces, a move marking a major concession to international demands by the country’s new rulers. Women have been banned from many jobs outside the health and teaching sector since the Taliban takeover, and girls have not been able to go to school after grade six. The Taliban-run culture and information ministry said Wednesday that public universities in Nangarhar and Kandahar, which have warmer climates than other Afghan regions, were now open for women. Later in the day, a Taliban official said public universities reopened for women in four more provinces: Helmand, Farah, Nimroz, and Laghman.